Beauty of New Mexico

Local Church in Santa Fe

Taos Mountains - Sangre de Christos

El Monte Sagrado grounds - Taos

I've been to New Mexico many times in my past, maybe 20 times or so.  My grandmother lives in Taos and I try to visit her at least once a year.  Every time I go I rediscover my love for the unique culture and tranquil landscape.  I just went this past weekend, which is my favorite time of year to go when all the plants and trees are coming back from their winter slumber and everything seems so vibrant and alive.  I always stay in Santa Fe for one night before heading up the mountain to Taos.  I love all the beautiful shops and art galleries, not to mention the delicious New Mexican cuisine you can't get in California.  This past trip we ate at Cafe Pasqual's for dinner.  It's definitely one of the best restaurants in town.  Just by walking around the streets of this small town you can get a sense of the pronounced culture, which can be broken down to 3 core aspects: food, religion, art. Since my mother and grandmother both cooked New Mexican food when I was growing up, I have a true love for the unique flavors here.  Some of my favorites are hatch green chiles, posole, and sopapillas.  To get some authentic New Mexican cuisine in Snata Fe, I would head over to The Shed or Tomasita's.  
After one night I'm off to Taos where I always feel the energy is slightly pulling me into it's vortex.  Taos is in the mountains nestled in a valley, adjacent to the Rio Grande Gorge and surrounded 360 degrees by the most magnificent mountains, both peaked and plateaued in form.  It's known for it's great ski mountain, but I love it there in springtime.  Again, food, art, and religion are present here but more muted.  Taos is such a tiny town which has grown significantly due to the influx of visitors but it's still more of a hippie town than anything.  Taos doesn't offer much more than it's natural beauty and serenity, but what else do you need really?  For 2 days and 2 nights I listen to the silence and just let go.  This last time my boyfriend was with me and I found myself judging Taos as nondescript and boring.  I was judging it because it doesn't have the attributes of a city.  But the truth is that Taos is a unique and magnificent natural beauty, something that a city can never obtain.  I live in Santa Monica and going to Taos reminds me that I don't have to always move so fast and judge everything according to standards of modern society and immediate satisfaction.  My ancestors from Spain settled in Taos in the 1800's.  It's part of my history and part of my DNA, so I will return to Taos routinely if not for any other reason but to remember where I came from.